How easy is it for a patient to find out whether their doctor, or a physician they are planning to see, has been sued for medical malpractice? It's actually not that difficult if the physician practices in Orange County. The Orange County Superior Court allows free access to their records dating back a number of years. While the information is not guaranteed to be all inclusive or 100% accurate, the OC Courts website is a valuable tool for someone researching the background of their doctor. This is especially true for people who have the option, under their insurance plan, to visit the doctor of their choosing.
Example: Two Orange County Doctors Who Have Been Accused of Missing a Heel Fracture on X-rays
On October 18, 2010, a 28-year-old patient went into the TLC Medical Group office in Huntington Beach after a fall from a ladder. The patient suspected that he had badly injured, if not broken, his right foot/ankle. The physician on duty at the TLC urgent care, Francis Foo, M.D. (a family practice doctor), took three x-ray views of the foot and ankle, and reviewed those films in the office, while the patient was still present. Dr. Foo did not identify a fracture, and the patient was discharged without such a diagnosis. The films were reportedly forwarded to a board certified radiologist, Alexander S. Lin, Ph.D., M.D., who reviewed at least two of the x-ray views. Dr. Lin's report was prepared on October 19th, and he too failed to identify any fracture on the films. The patient (trusting the advice of the two doctors) did not seek any further medical treatment for a number of months. Unfortunately, the patient had indeed sustained a serious fracture of his right heel that mended in a gross malposition, leaving him with what is likely to be a lifelong problem. One orthopedic expert who has examined the patient has recommended a complicated and expensive procedure, one that will result in a "fused" ankle and could cost between $30,000.00 and $50,000.00, including the cost of rehabilitation. The lawsuit and arbitration claim against these two doctors is currently pending.
The Cost of Medical Errors
The cost to the patient of a medical error committed by their doctor can be devastating. Patients, like the one above, can have their health seriously and permanently compromised, and they may have to undergo otherwise unnecessary medical procedures because of a physician's negligence. Nearly one hundred thousand patients reportedly die every year because of preventable errors, according to some reports. The cost to our national economy is thought to be in the tens ofbillions of dollars. In spite of all of that, victims of malpractice and their families often find it difficult to obtain compensation or even hold the doctors accountable. The civil justice system has built-in protections for doctors, such as California's Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA), that uniquely protect physicians to the detriment of their patients. MICRA was enacted more than 35 years ago, and for that period of time it has limited the compensation a patient or their family can recover against a health care provider, no matter how outrageous the negligence might be.
If you have been injured or a family member has been killed because of a health care provider's negligence, a free consultation with a malpractice attorney is perhaps the best way to find out about your rights to compensation.
Example: Two Orange County Doctors Who Have Been Accused of Missing a Heel Fracture on X-rays
On October 18, 2010, a 28-year-old patient went into the TLC Medical Group office in Huntington Beach after a fall from a ladder. The patient suspected that he had badly injured, if not broken, his right foot/ankle. The physician on duty at the TLC urgent care, Francis Foo, M.D. (a family practice doctor), took three x-ray views of the foot and ankle, and reviewed those films in the office, while the patient was still present. Dr. Foo did not identify a fracture, and the patient was discharged without such a diagnosis. The films were reportedly forwarded to a board certified radiologist, Alexander S. Lin, Ph.D., M.D., who reviewed at least two of the x-ray views. Dr. Lin's report was prepared on October 19th, and he too failed to identify any fracture on the films. The patient (trusting the advice of the two doctors) did not seek any further medical treatment for a number of months. Unfortunately, the patient had indeed sustained a serious fracture of his right heel that mended in a gross malposition, leaving him with what is likely to be a lifelong problem. One orthopedic expert who has examined the patient has recommended a complicated and expensive procedure, one that will result in a "fused" ankle and could cost between $30,000.00 and $50,000.00, including the cost of rehabilitation. The lawsuit and arbitration claim against these two doctors is currently pending.
The Cost of Medical Errors
The cost to the patient of a medical error committed by their doctor can be devastating. Patients, like the one above, can have their health seriously and permanently compromised, and they may have to undergo otherwise unnecessary medical procedures because of a physician's negligence. Nearly one hundred thousand patients reportedly die every year because of preventable errors, according to some reports. The cost to our national economy is thought to be in the tens ofbillions of dollars. In spite of all of that, victims of malpractice and their families often find it difficult to obtain compensation or even hold the doctors accountable. The civil justice system has built-in protections for doctors, such as California's Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA), that uniquely protect physicians to the detriment of their patients. MICRA was enacted more than 35 years ago, and for that period of time it has limited the compensation a patient or their family can recover against a health care provider, no matter how outrageous the negligence might be.
If you have been injured or a family member has been killed because of a health care provider's negligence, a free consultation with a malpractice attorney is perhaps the best way to find out about your rights to compensation.
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